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heather_harrison's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
She meets Tarquin (Tark) - a young Japanese American teenage boy with strange tattoos, and something else which is stuff off about him. His mother has attempted to kill him twice now, and so with Tark and his cousin - we embark on this creepy tale. The relationships between these two and Okiku is amusing and heartfelt.
Okiku, the narrator of the book have a penchant for counting things, which really just kept pulling me out of the audiobook.
"2004. Gruesome discovery in Queensland, Australia. Fully clothed body found washed up on the beach in North Narrabeen in Sydney and soon identified as a Patrick Neville, 52. A local cars salesman... Sharks and other large fish are not known to inhabit this particular coast..."
To which I say - Sydney is not close to Queensland, another state which borders the state Sydney is located in. Likewise, there is no end of the sharks and other large fish that are found between these two locations. This careless oversight seems at odds with how well thought out the rest of the story and research would have been.
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse
tspice24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Death
makenna_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
p0kefan24601's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Murder and Child death
Minor: Child abuse and Kidnapping
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Narrated by Andi Arndt
Unabridged
This reminded me of Anna Dressed in Blood.
There's were scenes that generally terrified me, and it amplified from listening this at home, on my own, in the dark. I loved that.
I liked that the main perspective was from Okiku, the ghost, as she observed life around her. It particularly interesting when some touched with the sight interacted with her in some way.
I was fascinated by Okiku's habit of counting. I think this is usually used in myths and legends to distract some of the paranormal beings, but here it felt self soothing and we found out the reasoning for it later, which added to a compelling back story.
The dolls were really creepy!
I definitely zoned out during some scenes, but generally this was hooking and intriguing.
I immediately went and listened to the companion novel.
Graphic: Dementia, Medical content, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Body horror, Blood, Death, Murder, Torture, Confinement, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
aryelee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The premise was interesting as well! A vengeful spirit who murderers others who kill children protecting them in her own way, then being able to protect a young boy and his cousin, wandering the world dedicated to taking revenge for innocent lives taken too soon. There is a lot of horror and gore, but it's along the lines of what you'd expect to see in a horror film. The mysticism of Japan and some of Japanese culture felt a little iffy to me, but that's a personal thing as I'm tired of seeing the place where I've lived and where my family lives be treated like that and constantly treated as something strange and other.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book! Perfect for anyone who enjoys ghost stories and possession.
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Torture
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content, Misogyny, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Sexism, Child death, Grief, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, Ableism, Bullying, and Homophobia
vidalovesspice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Dementia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying and Torture
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
roksyreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Torture, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
felicia's review
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, and Child death
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault